04/03/2026
Last night we read the Bible story of why Moses was not permitted to walk the Israelite's into the Land of Canaan. It was a very sad story. Moses had put up and been patient with the Israelite's for 40 years, and then on the very border of Canaan, he lost his patience with them, and for that sin of losing his patience, he was not permitted to see them over the Border, into the Land of Promise.
The Bible says, ~ "And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Take the rod, and gather thou the assembly together, thou, and Aaron thy brother, and SPEAK ye unto the rock before their eyes; and it shall give forth his water, and thou shalt bring forth to them water out of the rock: so thou shalt give the congregation and their beasts drink.And Moses took the rod from before the LORD, as he commanded him. And Moses and Aaron gathered the congregation together before the rock, and he said unto them, Hear now, ye rebels; must we fetch you water out of this rock? And Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod he SMOTE the rock twice: and the water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their beasts also." Numbers 20:7-11.
Such a powerful story with such IMPORTANT lessons! I'm quite certain that most of us do not see SIN as the AWFUL thing it is. Most of us, had we been in Moses' shoes, we would have been bitter and angry with God, for not overlooking that ONE SIN of IMPATIENCE, and stopping us from leading the people into the Promised Land.
Most of us don't realize that being IMPATIENT is such a bad sin. For some, being IMPATIENT is a way of life. They are IMPATIENT about nearly EVERYTHING! They might be very good people in other respects but that ONE SIN, if not overcome before Jesus returns, will keep them out of Heaven, just as Moses' impatiences kept him out of the Land of Canaan.
We cannot overcome sin on our own, it's impossible. But WITH GOD'S HELP, we can overcome ALL SIN. That my Friend, is what Jesus is waiting for! That's why He hasn't returned! He's waiting for His people to get ready! When they are ready, He's coming! And just like at the Flood, and at S***m & Gomorrah, there won't be very many ready. How many made it into the Ark? ONLY 8 people. How many escaped S***m & Gomorrah? Just 3, well 4, if you count Lot's wife who turned to a PILLAR of SALT because even though she left physically, her heart was still there...
The world doesn't need to get any worse! It's bad enough! All Jesus is waiting for is for a people who REFLECT His character, and He will come to take us HOME!
This is yet another example of why MOST Pastors/Priests are part of the PROBLEM and not the SOLUTION. MOST spiritual leaders teach very little about REPENTANCE and TURNING FROM SIN, or even WHAT SIN IS, for that matter. They teach alot about FORGIVENESS & GRACE. But that's only HALF the story! And telling people only HALF the story is really telling them a LIE. MOST spiritual leaders don't believe that it's NECESSARY to stop sinning, in fact, most of them will tell you that it's IMPOSSIBLE to stop sinning.
But what did Jesus say to the woman He had healed in John 8:11? ~ "GO, AND SIN NO MORE." Jesus NEVER asks us to do something that we cannot do. Whatever He asks us to do, He will enable us to do, if we cooperate with Him. I know this is a NEW & FOREIGN thought to many of you....don't be afraid of it! Rejoice and be happy that God wants to give you VICTORY over sin, and that you don't need to remain a SLAVE to SIN any longer! PRAISE GOD!
Back to Moses, he earnestly and deeply repented of his impatiences and God willingly forgave him, even though the punishment was not removed. Moses was 120 years old, and God laid him down to die, buried him, and a short time later, He resurrected him and took him to Heaven, where he is now, waiting for us all to join him. Remember, Moses and Elijah (who was also taken to Heaven in a fiery chariot of horses) were the two talking with Jesus at the TRANSFIGURATION. (See Matthew 17; Mark 9; and Luke 9.) Thank God that when we repent of our sins, Jesus forgives us...and He will welcome us into Heaven when He comes!